


May There Be Abundant Peace From Heaven

by wordscreatereality



Category: Arrow (TV 2012)
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-10-11
Updated: 2015-03-10
Packaged: 2018-02-20 18:54:22
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 12
Words: 15,181
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2439191
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/wordscreatereality/pseuds/wordscreatereality
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>A drabble series about Season 3. The chapters will be primarily Olicity based. Here be spoilers.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Here be spoilers. If you haven't watched 3x01 or seen the previews for 3x02 and don't want to be spoiled, please stop reading now.
> 
> One shot speculation on how Sara's death will impact Felicity's decision making when it comes to her partnership with Oliver.
> 
> This was my attempt at therapy. I don't think I'll ever be over Sara's death.
> 
> The Arrow characters and universe do not belong to me.

Felicity was hunched over Oliver's work table examining an arrow under a magnifying glass. She was doing her best not to dwell on the fact that the arrow was recently removed from Sara or that her friend's body was laying on their med table less than ten feet away. She was becoming increasingly frustrated as she could find nothing on the arrow that would help them track down Sara's murderer. Felicity had hoped she'd be able to give Oliver and the others something to go on when they returned.

Oliver, John and Roy were currently disinterring the empty casket from the grave that had been created seven years prior when Sara was presumed dead at sea. Laurel had gone to see her father who was staying  in the hospital overnight for observation. Team Arrow plus Laurel had made the decision to hide Sara's death from her parents and the League, at least until they figured out who ended her life. Laurel feared that her dad's heart couldn't take losing his youngest daughter again, not after he'd just gotten her back. Oliver was concerned for Captain Lance's health too, but his reasoning was more logistical. He didn't want Nyssa and the League of Assassins descending on Starling City and wreaking havoc as they looked to avenge Sara's death. Once they determined who was responsible, then they'd let Nyssa know. Laurel said, she didn't know when or if she could ever tell her parents.

The sound of a cell buzzing drew Felicity's attention to her friend. Rising from her stool, she approached Sara. Felicity hesitated only a moment before she reached into Sara's corset and removed the cell phone that was nestled within her cleavage. The caller identification was blocked and Felicity powered off the phone. She didn't want anyone tracing Sara back to the foundry. She placed the phone on her computer table, hopeful that she'd be able to recover something that would help them in their investigation.

Turning her attention back to Sara, Felicity decided it was bad enough they were going to bury her under the cover of darkness, they weren't going to do it with her bloody and dressed as an assassin. Standing over her friend, Felicity decided she would tend to her wounds first. She gently removed Sara's corset, as if she feared waking her from a nap. Felicity cleaned the three puncture wounds on her chest and abdomen before she sutured them closed. She sewed tiny neat stitches into her friend's flesh even though she knew they would never heal nor would Sara need to worry about new scars. The woman who had once felt nauseous at the sight of blood or faint in the presence of needles didn't show any squeamishness as she examined the back of Sara's head. She did her best to sew the wound closed and covered the rest with a square of gauze. Retrieving a wash cloth and basin of warm water from the bathroom, Felicity began to clean Sara's body and wash the blood from her hair. When she finished, Felicity dumped the contents of her emergency go bag onto Oliver's bed. She selected a long floral sundress and a white cardigan to bury Sara in. She dressed Sara as she apologized for the selection saying that she knew that it wasn't exactly her style but it was the best she could offer under the circumstances. She then blew Sara's hair dry and did her best to style it in the soft waves her friend favored. Felicity picked up the gray blanket that she so often draped around her guys whenever they'd been injured or herself when she was cold. As she held it to her chest she realized that it smelled like her - and Oliver. For a moment, Felicity allowed herself be comforted by the scent. She wrapped Sara's body in the blanket, but couldn't bring herself to cover the other blonde's face. Exhausted from the exertion, Felicity dropped back into her computer chair and began to cry.

Three hours later, Felicity was back in the foundry, alone. Sara had been buried in the dark with only Team Arrow and Laurel in attendance. They had each said their good-byes to their sister and friend and then all went their separate ways. John, Roy and Laurel said they were going home, Oliver wanted to go on patrol and Felicity returned to the foundry so she could try and get something from Sara's cell. Checking her team's trackers, she confirmed that John and Roy were home, but Laurel was walking along the waterfront. Oliver's tracker indicated that he was only minutes away from returning to the lair.

Felicity checked the progress on her attempt to decrypt Sara's phone. She knew as soon as Oliver returned there would be another confrontation. They hadn't spoken about the status of their relationship or friendship since he kissed her. Before she had received the call informing her that Sara was gone, she had made up her mind about what she was going to do. Sara's death had temporarily changed her plans. Finding Sara's killer was more important than her own feelings or needs.

The sound of Oliver descending the stairs had her standing up. She was nervous about being alone with him and hated herself for feeling that way. "What are you still doing here?" He asked. Felicity did her best to ignore the anger in his tone.

"I'm working to decrypt Sara's cell." Seeing the question on his face. "She had it on her." She watched him put his bow away and remove his quiver. "Are you okay? I mean, none of us are okay, but you're not planning on doing anything stupid, right?" At the best of times Oliver took crazy risks, in the emotional state he currently was in, she feared that crazy risks would become stupid chances.

"Until we know more, there isn't anything for me to do, stupid or not." He moved into her personal space. "Are you okay? We haven't really talked since the hospital." The tenderness and concern in his voice convinced her that her decision was the right one. His love for her was now a knife through her heart.

"I don't think now is the time to discuss this." Oliver hung his head at her words. "What do you want me to say? You've made up your mind. Is there anything I can say to change it?"

"Tell me you forgive me and that we're okay." The look in his eyes made her heart ache. He was clearly in pain, but she could only worry about her own. If she continued to live on the promise of his maybes it would destroy her.

"I forgive you, Oliver. I know you think you're making the right decision, but you're a fool. It took you nearly two years to ask me out, but after one bad date," okay she knew that the RPG attack was more than just a bad date, but it still wasn't his fault,  "you're willing to just walk away. You're not even looking to try and give us a shot. We've always found another way and we could've found a way to make this work, together. You're the bravest man I know, but you're a coward. You're letting your fears control you and make decisions for you." Tears were falling from both their eyes. "I love you, but I can't live down here in the dark with you. I can't be around you knowing how we feel about one another, wondering if you'll ever realize that you made a mistake. I need to try to make some type of life for myself. Once we find Sara's killer, I'm done. I'm walking away from everything." When Felicity first agreed to help Oliver she had said it was only until they found Walter. After they found Walter, she had stayed, but this time she was going to leave, she had to.  She returned to her desk and focused on Sara's phone. The sooner they found Sara's killer the sooner they would all be able to begin to heal. She could feel Oliver staring at her. She heard him take a shuttering breath and the sound of him walking away.


	2. The Absence of Light

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Oliver notices an unexpected change in Felicity since the funeral.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I've decided to continue this as a drabble series. The chapters will only be connected in as much as they are linked to the episodes.
> 
> Here be spoilers. This chapter is Oliver reflecting on things post 3x02. If you haven't watched the episode and don't want to be spoiled, please stop reading.
> 
> The Arrow characters and universe do not belong to me.

Something was different. Something wasn't right. Of course, everything became different and started to go wrong the moment a rocket propelled grenade blew up his first date with Felicity. But this was more than that. Oliver sat at his table pretending to assemble his arrows as he observed Felicity.

It had been a week since they buried Sara. Even after their fight and returning to QC to work for Palmer, Felicity continued to show up for her role on the team.  A part of him was jealous that she'd returned to the company because in his head they were going to do that together. All summer he'd pictured celebrating with Felicity by his side as they reclaimed his family's legacy. Not once when he imagined returning to QC did he ever think of doing it alone, Felicity was always with him. Even though his feelings had been hurt, the board's selection of Ray Palmer had been a good thing. So far, Palmer had been good for the company and QC's stock price had made some gains. Oliver was pleased that his former employees had a little more job security under their new management. He was happy that Felicity was getting to do the type of work she loved and had studied for. She'd been wasting her talents at Tech Village and he knew she'd done that for him.

She said that she was doing okay, or at least that's what she told John. She didn't speak to Oliver beyond cursory greetings or to convey information about their evening activities. Gone were the casual touches and the flirty smiles. He knew it would happen after he kissed her and she walked away, he just didn't know it would hurt as much as it does. The only time Felicity still felt like his Felicity was when she was the voice in his ear as he prowled the city streets.  She continued to babble in his ear while he rode his bike or while he sat on rooftops observing his targets. She still called his name gently and asked if he was alright after every physical confrontation. At the end of his patrols she still said, "Oliver, come home." But now when she said it the phrase was no longer her way of saying, "Oliver, come back to me." Now the words were a reproach. It was if she were telling him to return to his cave and wait for death. For more than a year, Felicity had been his home and now she was vanishing from his life.

His head flew up at the thought. Vanishing. Fading away. That's what's different. That's what's wrong.  Felicity has been fading away right in front of him. Ever since Sara's burial, Felicity's appearance had become more muted. Instead of bright and rich hues, Felicity's wardrobe now consisted of drab olive green, dull grays and black. There were no splashes of color around her waist, on her feet or on her fingernails. The shades of shocking reds and popping pinks on her lips were gone and had been replaced with neutral nudes.

He didn't like it. She was color. She was laughter. She was passion. The woman sitting in front of him was none of these things. Now she was cold professionalism. She was retreating from him and he'd expected that, hell, he'd encouraged it by pushing her away. What had him worried was that she appeared to be retreating from herself.

He chided himself for his ego and self-absorption. Felicity was strong and a fully actualized individual. He could hear her tell him that it was his over-inflated male ego that made him think that the ending of their relationship before it started had caused a change in her personality. When she told him that she was going to get more out of life and not wait with him to die it was a response to Sara's death more than it had been about the way things had ended between them. Death has a way of refocusing one's attention on life. Except, if she was so intent on living why was she dressed like she was attending a perpetual funeral? If she were Thea he'd just chalk it up to trying out a new style. Maybe Felicity was trying something new, but it didn't feel like that to him.

Looking at her sitting in front of her computers dressed in a solid gray dress, surrounded by gray walls and dripping pipes had Oliver desperate to fill his lungs with fresh air. He could feel the walls closing in on him. He thought to himself, _this must be what being buried alive feels like._ Without a word, he ran up the stairs and out the side door into the night. Bending over at the waist he gulped for air. After a minute he could feel his head clearing, but he didn't want to return to the basement to face everything that was waiting for him and the one person who wasn't. The sound of the side door closing drew his attention.

"I'm heading home. Goodnight, Oliver." Diggle said as he walked towards him.

"Thanks, John. Goodnight." Oliver said, hoping he sounded more in control than he felt.

As John passed Oliver, he slapped a newspaper against his chest. Reflexively, Oliver took hold of it. The paper was opened to the classifieds. John had circled ten apartments that Oliver could probably afford. On top of the page John had written a note, **_So don't._**

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Notes: Thank you for reading.
> 
> So this chapter is the result of seeing Felicity in the olive dress when she accepted the job with Ray at the end of 3x02. I remember thinking to myself that she looked strange, but I couldn't put my finger on it. When I rewatched the episode it struck me that we've never seen her look so muted before. I couldn't decide if the decision was made to dress her that way because of the funeral or if it is a sign that Felicity is trying to reinvent herself. I know that a lot of people have remarked that it is the first time we have seen her in green and that it is her way of staying connected with Oliver. I've never been of the opinion that Oliver would want to see her in green - I don't think it's his favorite color. Green is the mask he wears, it is his camouflage - which is why I think we've never seen her wear the color before. Anyway, that's just my opinion.
> 
> This series may continue next week if something in the episode needles my brain.


	3. Assumptions

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> When solving a crime, a good detective is careful to assume nothing.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This fic contains spoilers for Season 3.
> 
> I don't know why, but when Sara died, I assumed her killer was a woman. It could just be that I don't want Sara's life to have been ended by another violent act committed by a man.
> 
> The Arrow characters and universe do not belong to me.

Her feet fell silently against the pavement as she pursued her prey. It had been sloppy of her not to take him out the night he saw her, but she doesn't relish killing and didn't see the harm in letting the drunk go. Unfortunately, the Arrow had been able to identify him as a witness and he was now a vulnerability. Eventually, the Arrow will realize his mistake in letting him go without questioning him further. It was a common mistake when there is a murder, the suspect is always a man. When the witness said, _This lady, she showed up and she told us to go! Looked like she could handle herself_ , the Arrow had assumed he was referring to the Canary, not her executioner.

Arrows have never been her weapon of choice, but when she heard that Komodo was in Starling on a contract, she couldn't resist. She has been following the Arrow follow his leads for a week. The Arrow had literally spun his wheels chasing Lacroix down.  She should have left town by now, but she couldn't resist watching the investigation from afar.

She didn't know the Canary was his friend. She doesn't know if it would've made a difference if she had known. Someone else would've taken the contract and the Canary would still be dead and he would still be chasing down leads. There was no one left for him to talk to, which will send him chasing after the origin of the murder weapons. There is nothing to find on that path, other than frustration. She wonders if he will turn to the League for assistance. If he does, he will spend years of his life tracking down every person who could possibly want the Canary dead. The League will just lead him down one dead end after another. The Canary had ended almost as many lives as she had.

It would be nice to stay longer. She hadn't expected to feel nostalgic, but seeing him again brought back memories of happier times, when her family was whole. He seemed unhappy, but she couldn't tell if that was her doing or if the sadness was there before she struck. She was surprised his sadness  was effecting her. She hadn't realized that she had such fondness for a man who came in and out of her life without warning.

She almost felt sorry for him. Oliver had always been impatient and quick to judgment, but since she last saw him he had also become more disciplined. His newfound focus was the death warrant for the man staggering in front of her. This Oliver would definitely realize his mistake and come looking for this witness again.

She slipped her blade in between the man's ribs. She would give him a quick death, the same as she gave his drinking companions. She took the man's wallet and his cell. The police won't look too hard at another robbery gone wrong in the Glades and they definitely won't look for a woman. Assumptions, they'll get you every time. She cleaned her blade on the man's pants and made a decision. It was time to leave Starling City. The time for memories was done.


	4. Rooftops

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> How is it that Felicity overheard Barry reveal his new ability to Oliver?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Spoilers ahead.
> 
> The Arrow characters and universe do not belong to me.

Since Felicity had joined Team Arrow she'd become a creature of habit. Oliver and John were forever reminding her to shake up her routine and to make herself unpredictable to anyone watching. She never drove to work the same way twice in a week. She was always aware of her surroundings and tracked cars in her rear view mirror for tails. She wasn't going to be the one that compromised the security of their team. But living a double life made it necessary to establish routines. It was the only way to keep her identities straight and her life manageable. No matter how tired she was before she went to bed, Felicity always laid out her clothes for work , she set the timer on her coffee pot, washed her face, brushed her teeth and checked the team's trackers. She couldn't fall asleep if she didn't know that everyone else was safe and sound.

The nice thing about habits is never having to think. The world could be burning up, but Felicity always takes off her make-up before she puts on her pajamas. That's why she is checking her tablet even though her heart is breaking. She takes comfort from looking after the family that has sprung up around her in the last two years. Despite her grief, she still has to know where everyone is before she can allow herself the indulgence of crying herself to sleep. She always looks for John first. His tracker blinks alongside Lyla's. She imagines them wrapped around one another in Lyla's hospital bed with John's hand draped across their new daughter's basinet. Next, she looks for Lance, he is the only person she tracks without his consent. The Captain is at home and Felicity moves on. Roy is also at home and she hopes he's sleeping. He is pushing himself too hard and looks tired. She makes a mental note to speak to John about it and then takes a sharp breath as she remembers that John has quit the team. Blinking back tears, she looks for Laurel and smiles. Laurel's tracker is blinking alongside Sara's. Sara had called to tell Felicity she was back in town and that she would try to swing by the foundry to catch up. Felicity had tried to sound upbeat, but Sara could tell something was wrong and asked her what was wrong. Felicity had unloaded everything about her date with Oliver and how it had ended in shattered glass and fire. She told Sara that Oliver was running away again, not back to Lian Yu, but retreating behind his self-made walls. Sara had promised to speak with Oliver. After what happened between her and Oliver at the hospital, she was pretty sure Sara hadn't talked to Oliver yet. She was tempted to call Sara and ask her to come over so she'd have a shoulder to cry on,  but Laurel's blinking light reminded her that the sisters hadn't seen one another in five months and she could wait another night to share, _Oliver is such an idiot_ , stories. Speaking of idiots, Oliver's light blinked at her. Instead of brooding in the foundry, Oliver was downtown near QC.

Felicity quickly checked her system in the foundry looking for whatever police alert had sent Oliver out on patrol. There wasn't a single 911 call or police dispatch to his current location. She reached for her phone and was about to select "1" on her speed dial when she stopped herself. She was torn between her anger and hurt with Oliver and her sense of responsibility to their mission. Felicity knew his head wasn't in the right place and he was out on patrol alone. She was about to call Roy when a text message popped up on her screen. The laugh that escaped her lips was short and full of pain. The text was from Oliver.

_Do you have a comm on you?_

She debated whether or not she should respond. _Yes_

_Turn it on_

_Are you in trouble?_

_No. You just need to hear something_

Felicity had retrieved her comm from her bag after his second text. She popped it in her ear and turned it on. "Oliver, are you there?"

She heard him sigh. "I'm here."  

The sound of his feet rhythmically hitting the ground filled her ears. He had started running once she turned her comm on. "What's happening?"

A grunt, followed by a moment of silence and then the sound of him dropping and rolling let her know he was jumping from rooftops. "Everything's fine. I got a call from an old friend. He asked me to meet him. I thought you'd want to listen in." Felicity couldn't begin to imagine who Oliver could possibly be meeting on a rooftop that would remotely interest her. She was about to tell him that she was tired and if he wasn't working she was going to call it a night, when someone called out to Oliver in greeting. The voice was familiar but she couldn't place it. Oliver's response had her dropping her tablet as she rose from her bed. "Did you have a nice nap?"


	5. What if?

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Felicity tortures herself by asking, what if?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I think all of us have asked ourselves this dangerous question when our hearts are breaking.
> 
> The Arrow characters and universe do not belong to me.

Felicity's mom likes to say that the two most destructive words in the English language are, "What if?" In her head, Felicity knows that her past cannot be re-written and wondering what might have been if she'd chosen another path will do nothing to alleviate the pain she is feeling now. But her heart, oh how her heart wants a way to stop the pain. Her heart wants a moment in time to focus on, a moment in time where everything could've been different. Her heart wants someone to blame.

_What if Cooper Seldon didn't sit in front of her in her first-year seminar?_

_What if she never agreed to her first date with Cooper?_

_What if she never showed Cooper her super virus?_

_What if Cooper didn't fake his own death?_

That last question, that's the one that's keeping her up at night. She doesn't wonder if they would've stayed together, gotten married and started a family, but she does wonder where she'd be and who she would've become. Being kidnapped by your back from the dead ex doesn't make it easy to find peace or answers, but it does keep you awake thinking about what might have been. As she lays in the dark, staring at the ceiling, Felicity knows that despite his betrayal and death threats, she isn't even all that angry with Coop. What is keeping her up at night is the pain in her chest that makes it hard for her to breath and when she asks herself, _what if Cooper didn't fake his own death?_ , the question has very little to do with Coop and everything to do with Oliver. If Cooper hadn't _died_ , she's pretty sure she never would've met Oliver. Alone in the darkness with another sleepless night stretching out before her, she wishes she never met Oliver Queen.

The morning after her kidnapping she'd gone to see Oliver. She needed to see him and to hear the sound of his voice. When he stopped himself from approaching her, she could feel the cracks in her heart deepen. She wanted to scream at him. She wanted to shove him or shake him. Anything that would bring her Oliver back. A dark chasm, filled with all his fears and self-doubt, gaped between them. Ever since Sara's death, she'd tried to move forward and create a life for herself outside of the Oliver and Team Arrow. It was about self-preservation. It was about her dignity. It was about fighting for herself when he'd given up. In the past, she'd been the one to fight for him when he'd been ready to surrender, but she didn't know how to make him fight for her, for them. He had to get there on his own, but she had to stop hoping that he would.

The problem wasn't just that he'd taken away her dreams of what could be, but he'd stripped her of her best friend. Oliver was the person she told about her day. He was the first text in the morning and the last one at night. He was her soft landing when the world struck a cruel blow. Over the past five weeks, she's needed him more than she's ever needed him before, but he's become a passing shadow in her life, a form without substance. She knows that he needs her too, but even though he is looking at her with such longing and regret he is still holding onto his choice. He has planted his flag of solitude, causing  the ground between them to crumble.

It has been five weeks since they've touched and the absence of intimacy is both a knife through her heart and a blessing. She wants nothing more than to feel his hand on her shoulder or the warmth of his embrace as she grieves for Sara's death, her own heart break and for Coop's betrayal. At the same time she is grateful for the absence of his touch because it would be an all too painful reminder of what he has chosen to walk away from.

Learning about her past has done nothing to diminish his feelings about her. He told her that he's grateful for what she'd gone through because it led her to him. Of course he realizes that without her creation of the super virus or Coop's alleged death, she would never have been drawn into his crusade. Coop's death had frightened her from pursuing some of her crazier programming ideas, but it had instilled in her a strong desire to make a positive difference in the world. When she saw Oliver's potential for good, she knew she'd found where she was supposed to be. She finally had found her way to making a difference.  Every life she helped Oliver  save was a way to honor Coop and the sacrifice he'd made for her. But Coop wasn't dead. He let her grieve for him. He let her guilt haunt her for five years. Her life had been built on the lie of his death and she really needed to talk to her best friend about it. Even though they stood within feet of one another, the gulf between them kept them rooted to their spots. She wanted to tell him that she had to walk away from him because she couldn't watch another man she loved commit suicide. Oliver wasn't putting a literal noose around his neck, but he was embracing the inevitability of losing his life to his cause.

So yes, she wanted to scream and shout at him. She wanted to pound his chest and upend tables because  the grief of losing him is slowly swallowing her whole. Instead, she smiled and told him that they were all stuck with their families, no matter what. In spite of everything, Oliver is still her family and they are definitely stuck.

_What if Vertigo waited for their second date to fire his rocket?_

_What if Sara hadn't overheard their chatter?_

_What if Oliver never loved her?_

_What if Oliver never crawled into her backseat?_

_What if Oliver never stepped into her office with a laptop full of bullet holes and his beautiful smile?_

Her mom was right. All of her _What ifs_ could destroy her.

She hopes that each step she takes further from him is actually leading her back to her best friend. She really needs to be able to tell someone about her day. She knows that if anyone else were causing her this pain, Oliver would be moving heaven and earth to protect her from it, but he is the one breaking her heart and only she can put a stop to it. A life without Oliver in it is something she can no longer imagine. She is done imagining what might have been. There will be no more, _what ifs_. There is no going back so she must choose how she moves forward.


	6. Choices

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Roy confronts Felicity about keeping the truth from him. Felicity realizes her choice that night had less to do with Roy and more to do with Oliver.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here be spoilers.
> 
> In light of the previews for 3x07, I think a lot of Olicity fans may be questioning how or why Felicity ends up agreeing to go on a date with Ray.
> 
> The Arrow characters and universe do not belong to me.

Felicity sat alone in the foundry with the rattling of steam pipes and the hum of her servers providing  soothing white noise as she worked. Now that Oliver was living with Thea, Felicity could come to the basement and work on her searches without fearing awkward encounters with her partner. The sound of the alley entrance door closing gave her a small flutter of anxiety. She quickly checked her team's trackers and sighed with relief when she realized her visitor was only Roy. She turned to greet him, but the smile fell from her face when she saw the tension in his shoulders and the angry clench of his jaw. "Oliver isn't here yet. Everything okay?"

Roy stalked towards her, his every step hitting heavily upon the concrete floor. "I'm not here to see Oliver. I want to talk to you."  He stopped two feet from her chair and glared down at her.

Felicity felt uncomfortable with their current power dynamic and rose from her chair and stepped around him. She walked towards the large touch screen monitor and brought up one of her searches. "Sure, what's up?"

Roy moved to her side at the monitor. "When I asked you last spring if I'd been out the whole time, you said yes. Why did you lie to me?"

The pain on Roy's face was raw. Felicity placed a gentle hand on his arm. He flinched but didn't shake her touch off. "You had just woken up. We were under attack. It wasn't the right time."

"I don't believe you. I thought this team was about trust and the first thing you tell me when I wake up is a lie. Why?" His eyes were glistening but no tears fell.

"I didn't want to hurt you. I thought you needed time to readjust after getting the cure." Felicity had been trying to protect Roy when she didn't tell him about his homicidal Mirakuru-fueled rampage. He'd looked so vulnerable when he asked her that question as they filled injection arrows with the cure. However, like so much in her life, her reasons for not telling him that night were more complicated than his well-being. The pleading look on Roy's face had her telling him everything. "He needed you and I couldn't afford you having a guilt trip."

"So you lied for him?" Roy pulled away from her. "Did he ask you to?"

"Oliver has never asked me to lie for him." Roy raised an incredulous eyebrow at her statement. "Well, aside from all this," her arms sweeping across the foundry, "he's never asked me to lie." She took a step towards him  and reached for his hand. He angrily pulled it out of reach. "Roy, he didn't ask me to lie to you about it."

Roy's temper exploded and he began to shout. "It? It's not an it, Felicity. I killed someone. You had no right to keep that from me."

"What's going on here?" Oliver asked coolly as he stepped off the last stair. "Felicity?" Oliver moved to put himself between the arguing pair, but addressed her. "Is everything okay?"

"Typical." Roy huffed.

Felicity stepped around Oliver. Her own temper flaring at Roy's hurtful accusations. "What's that supposed to mean?"

Roy rolled his eyes at her. "You're the one that says we're a team and that we trust one another, but you're always going to choose him over me."

Roy's statement was a slap in the face. She always put the team first and sometimes that meant prioritizing their individual needs in certain situations. "You're being ridiculous. I didn't tell you to protect you."

"No, you didn't tell me to protect him." Roy spat out as he pointed to Oliver.

Oliver moved to block Roy's view of Felicity, using his back as a protective wall. "Hold on, Roy. It was my decision not to tell you about what happened. This isn't Felicity's fault. If you're going to blame someone, blame me."

Roy's voice came out in almost a whisper. "I didn't ask you what happened, but I did ask her and she lied."

"She was trying to help you." Oliver's voice was gentle as he tried to soothe his apprentice.

Roy snorted in derision. "It's always going to be the two of you, ahead of everyone else. Even when you're all awkward and screwed up, you still defend one another, the rest of us be damned." Roy headed towards the alley entrance.

"Roy, wait. We need to talk this out." Oliver called after Roy.

Roy spun around angrily and shouted. "You two deserve each other."

The sound of the heavy alley door slamming behind Roy caused Felicity to flinch. She sank into her chair, resting her head against her desk. "I screwed up."

Oliver rested his hands on the back of her chair and spoke softly. "You didn't screw up. You made the best decision you could that night. It was the right decision. I made the same decision when I chose not tell him."

"Roy was right." Oliver moved to sit on the edge of her desk, his head tilting in a silent question. "You didn't tell him to protect him from learning he is a murderer. You wanted to spare him pain."

Oliver narrowed his eyes in concern. "So did you."

The need to put distance between herself and Oliver and the truth had her rising from her chair. "No. I didn't tell him because I wanted one more person out in the field fighting for you. I was being selfish because my decision was less about protecting him and more about trying to keep you alive. I did choose you over him." As the words left her mouth she was able to see the truth she'd been blinding herself to. "You're never going to choose me, are you?"

Oliver pushed off the desk and moved towards her, tears in his eyes. "Felicity, I"

Felicity raised her hand to stop his forward movement. "I can't. I'm sorry." She walked quickly towards the stairs, fighting back tears. "I'll be back in a few minutes. I just need some air." Once she stepped out of the club, she let go of the sob she'd been holding in. Her situation with Oliver wasn't getting easier with time, if anything, it was getting harder. She needed to find another way to move past her grief or she would have to walk away entirely.


	7. Where you go, I will follow

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Felicity has decided that Oliver no longer gets to make decisions about them.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here be spoilers for 3x09 speculation.
> 
> The Arrow characters and universe do not belong to me.

Felicity's steps echoed off the cement walls as she ran down the Foundry's stairs. Her feet landed heavily on each step due to the weight of the bags she carried. "Thank God, you're still here." She dropped all but one plastic bag and crossed the room to Oliver. She pressed the bag to his chest and his hand's reached for it reflexively.  Felicity moved to her computers. "You need to be quick. The instructions are in the box. There's a razor in the bag too. That scruff has got to go."

Oliver reached into the bag and pulled out a box of hair dye. He raised his eyebrows. "You're giving me a going away makeover?"

Felicity rose from her chair and lowered the hood of her sweater, revealing a mess of short brown curls. "No, we're getting, going on the run, makeovers."

"Felicity." Oliver's voice was soft as he ran his fingers through her hair.

"You always wanted to know my natural color." Felicity playfully spun where she stood. "Tada."  She reached for his hand when she saw his eyes welling with tears. "Oliver, it's just hair. It will grow back and it only takes a few minutes to change the color."

He laughed. "It's not that." He gently tugged on a curl and watched it spring into place. "I like it."

She smiled. "I'm glad. Now it's your turn. I have some stuff to finalize while you're doing your hair." She began to boot up her computers when she realized Oliver hadn't moved. "Your hair isn't going to dye itself."

"Felicity, we aren't going to run away." He said gently.

With her attention completely focused on her system, she responded, "Well, we're not going to catch Sara's killer in the next sixteen hours and you're sure as hell not turning yourself over to the League, which means, we run."

Oliver spun her chair to face him. "You know this isn't possible, right? I can't go on the run. What about everyone else?"

"A .R.G.U.S. is going to protect Dig, Lyla and the baby. Lyla has also agreed to protect Roy. That just leaves, you, Thea and me." She lifted up three Ziploc bags. Each of the bags contained a passport, a driver's license and three credit cards. "I've got the three of us covered. I don't know what we're going to tell Thea, but we need her to cooperate, fast. I think we should go with the truth."

Oliver took one of the bags from her and peered at its contents. "When did you do all this?"

Felicity bit her lip. "Um, about six weeks after you showed up in the back of my car."

"You made us all fake IDs two years ago?" Oliver placed the bag back down on her desk.

"Technically, I bought them two years ago. However, I did create our bank accounts in Switzerland and the Cayman Islands."

"Bank accounts? Do I want to know where the money came from?" He watched as she scrunched up her nose and shook her head. "Okay, how much money is in these secret accounts?"

Felicity sighed. "Let's just say we won't need to worry about getting jobs."

"You have money squirreled away in secret bank accounts and let me think I'm broke?" Oliver sounded equal parts amused and annoyed.

Felicity rolled her eyes and moved to turn back to her computers, but he gripped the top of her chair, holding her in place. "Oliver, this money is for an emergency. You being broke, doesn't qualify as an emergency. Joining the League at gun point is an emergency."

Oliver gently pulled Felicity to her feet by her shoulders. "How long do you think we would have before the League found us? What do you think they'll do to you and Thea when they catch us? Your plan isn't safe."

Felicity placed both of her hands on his chest and gripped his shirt. The distance that had sprouted between them after their disastrous date had disappeared once Ra's al Ghul arrived with his ultimatum. "The League might be made up with the best killer's in the world, but they've never had to go up against me. I can make us disappear. They will never find us, I promise."

Oliver closed his eyes and sighed. "I can't ask you and Thea to spend the rest of your lives looking over your shoulders. I won't ask you to live in fear or give up on a normal life."

"But you can sacrifice yourself for us?" Felicity's loud voice rang off every surface.

"Yes." Oliver said with conviction.

"No! No, you don't get to make that choice for me. I've had to live with your crappy decisions for two months and you don't get to make anymore. You're not turning yourself over to the League. Now, go dye your hair." Felicity pushed against his chest in an attempt to set him into motion.

Oliver grabbed her hands and held them tightly against his heart. "I don't want to spend the time we have left fighting."

"Then go do what I ask." Felicity's voice had gentled as she pleaded with him.

"Felicity." Her name was loaded with everything that had remained unsaid between them.

Fire returned to Felicity. "Damn it, Oliver. I'm not losing you. You're going to have to go through me in order to turn yourself over to the League."

Oliver's voice rose in frustration. "I don't have a choice. I'm not letting Ra's hurt anyone I love."

Felicity rested her head against their joined hands. "Then you can't go. You're hurting me, Oliver. If you leave, you're going to break my heart."

"Felicity." She could tell from his tone that he was begging her to stop.

She took his hands and held them against her heart. "I don't know how or when it happened, but you are coursing through my veins. I can't imagine my life without you in it. You're the most important person in my life. I love you and if you think that you're walking out that door without me - well, it's a good thing that you look the way you do, because you're an idiot."

Oliver's eyes widened in surprise before a smile spread across his face. "Say it again."

Felicity blushed. "You're an idiot." Oliver groaned in frustration.  Felicity locked eyes with him and with solemnity said, "I love you."

"Again." He whispered.

Felicity smiled. "I love you."

Oliver cupped Felicity's cheeks. "I love you." His lips crashed into hers. When they were both breathless he rested his forehead against hers. "Okay."

"Okay?" Felicity was unable to keep the surprise out of her voice.

He pulled away and picked up the bag with the hair dye. "We'll do it your way."


	8. The Devil Can Cite Scripture

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Felicity fears that Thea's reaction might be too good to be true.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Spoilers through 3x13. Speculation on the remainder of the season.
> 
> The show has made me paranoid and unable to accept anything good. Oliver's relief at Thea accepting him as the Arrow made me happy and then I became instantly nervous. It's too early in the season for something good to happen to Oliver. Every scene between Oliver and Thea filled me with dread. I think Thea might be playing Oliver. I hope I'm wrong.
> 
> The Arrow characters and universe do not belong to me.

The black and white security feeds from Verdant were streaming across Felicity's monitors. Roy stood behind the bar and took notes as Thea spoke from her perch on one of the barstools. Oliver sat next to her, his hand over his mouth in an attempt to cover his smile. From the look on Roy's face, Felicity knew that Thea was probably telling him something for the tenth time. Roy was going to be running the club in Thea's absence and she seemed anxious to be leaving anyone in charge. Despite leaving for a training exercise on Lian Yu, Oliver seemed relaxed and happy. He was looking at Thea like she was a miracle. Maybe that was what was bothering Felicity. She's had a niggling doubt ever since Oliver told Thea the truth. Thea's reaction to Oliver's revelation about his secret identity was maybe too miraculous.

"Everything okay?" Dig asked as he sat on the edge of her desk and glanced over his shoulder at her monitors.

Felicity turned her attention to Dig and gave him a smile. "I'm fine."

"You don't look fine. You look like you're trying to solve a puzzle."

Felicity debated whether she should tell Diggle her fears about Thea. She knew that while the team understood her reaction to Oliver's decision to team up with Malcolm, they also thought she was being a little unfair to him. If she started voicing concerns about Thea, they might start thinking she was paranoid and not basing her concerns for Oliver in reality. "Something isn't adding up and I'm just trying to decide if I've lost my objectivity or if there is something to worry about."

Diggle raised his eyebrows. "Sometimes it helps to hear your ideas aloud. What's got you worried?"

"It was too easy, right?" When Dig cocked his head she continued, "Thea's reaction. It was too easy."

"She reacted better than any of us could hope. I'm glad for Oliver's sake. He deserved something to go his way."

"Exactly. Oliver has been afraid to tell Thea about being the Arrow for years because he expected her to be so angry with him that she'd cut him out of her life."

"I told him he'd lose her forever if he told her. I'm glad I was wrong." Dig turned to look at Felicity's monitor again. "It's been a heavy burden for him to carry."

"I know how much this lie has weighed on him." Felicity couldn't help the smile that came to her lips as she watched Oliver laugh at something Thea said that made Roy wince.

Dig's voice heavy with concern said, "Felicity. Why don't you tell me exactly what has you worried."

"Merlyn brainwashed Thea into killing Sara. What's to stop him from brainwashing Thea into embracing Oliver as the Arrow and then rejecting him?" She asked barely above a whisper.

"To what end?" Felicity felt guilty as she saw the worry behind Dig's eyes.

"Oliver told us that the reason they're going to Lian Yu is because Ra's exploits the fears of his enemies. He manipulates them by twisting what they fear most. Merlyn is Ra's student. What if Merlyn is doing the same thing to Oliver?"

Diggle stood and turned to place his hands on her desk and he leaned closer to her monitors. "Oliver fears losing Thea."

"Yes."

"But, she didn't react badly."

Felicity's eyes filled with tears. "No, she said everything he hoped she'd say. She thanked him for saving people. She made him feel like a hero. She rejected Merlyn. It was his fantasy come to life. What happens a month or two months from now and she calls him a lying murderer who managed to save countless strangers but couldn't save their mother or her brother?"

Diggle hung his head. "It will devastate him."

"What if she is telling him everything he wants to hear now in order to hurt him later? I think Merlyn is dangerous at the best of times, but what is he capable of when he fears for his life? He had Thea kill Sara so Oliver would have to fight Ra's. He's even more desperate now." Oliver and Thea stood up from their stools. Oliver shook Roy's hand and then gestured for Thea to hand him her bag. Felicity watched them walk out of the camera's range. "Dig, Oliver nearly killed Merlyn and upset his plans to completely destroy the Glades. Do we honestly think the man who blew up the Gambit in an attempt to kill his best friend without regard for everyone else on board, who threatened Moira, kidnapped Walter, murdered five hundred people as a way to avenge his wife's murder would really have any intention of helping Oliver? Merlyn is a monster and we shouldn't trust him, even if Oliver is."

"We need proof." Dig folded his arms across his chest.

"When they're back, I'll have to find a way to get a sample of her blood." She looked around the Foundry and took in all the sharp pointy objects covering almost every surface. "I'm sure we can arrange a minor accident while giving her a tour."

"While they're away, I think we need to take a look around the loft. Can you get through her security?" Felicity gave him a look that clearly showed him what she thought of his question. He chortled and raised his hands in mock surrender. "Fine. Thea's security won't keep us from taking a look around her place."

"Maybe we'll luck out and find traces of Votura in her apartment to prove that Merlyn's still drugging her." Felicity took a shuddering breath as she realized what she said. "I didn't mean that," she turned to face Dig, "I want to be wrong about this. I want Oliver to have this. I know I'm angry with him, but I want him to be happy. I don't want him to lose Thea."

Dig squeezed her shoulder. "I know. I want you to be wrong too." He nodded to the monitor. Roy was heading towards the basement door. "Until we know more, let's keep this between us."

Felicity nodded and Dig moved away from her desk. She hadn't voiced her biggest concern. What if Thea wasn't being drugged, but was working with Merlyn to set her brother up? If she was right, Oliver could be walking into a trap set by the only family he had left. He might be able to survive a sword through the chest and a fall from a cliff, but being betrayed by Thea could be his undoing. God, she hoped she was wrong.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for reading. Your feedback is always welcomed.


	9. Pressure Point

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Captain Lance has declared the Arrow Public Enemy #1 and has Felicity Smoak in his sights.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I know what the spoilers for 3x18 are, but the episode's title had my imagination going in a different direction.
> 
> The Arrow characters and universe do not belong to me.

Felicity navigated her bright pink roller suitcase through the crowd at Starling City's train terminal. She'd spent a week in Central City with Ray working with Barry and his team to bring down a meta. Surprisingly, Ray, if not his suit, had been useful in apprehending the criminal. Unsurprisingly, he'd hit it off with Cisco like a house on fire. Ray choose to stay behind in order to get some assistance with his suit from the young engineer. Felicity was glad to be home and was looking forward to a long shower and a night in her own bed. Now that she was dating Ray she'd come to realize that even though he said all the right things, he was still just another billionaire vigilante choosing his mission over her. She did have a type and it turned out to be the emotionally unavailable kind. As she stepped out of the station into the rainy spring night, her way was suddenly blocked by a familiar face. "Captain," she looked around anxiously at the heavy police presence, "is everything okay?"

Captain Lance nodded to two officers and they stepped forward. One took the suitcase from her hand, the other took hold of her wrist and moved it behind her back. The cold metal of a pair of handcuffs closing around her wrists made her gasp. "Felicity Megan Smoak, you are under arrest for twelve counts of accessory to first degree murder and anything else we can help the DA's office make stick."

"What?" Felicity stammered as all the blood left her head. The edges of her vision began to turn black as she stared in disbelief at the man who she had believed was her ally. "Captain?"

"I might not know the identity of the vigilante, but I know who his partner is. We'll see how effective he is without you covering for him." Lance read her the Miranda warning and she nodded when he asked if she understood even though she didn't understand what was happening. As he placed a hand protectively over her head as he helped lower her into a squad car he whispered, "Tell me, Miss Smoak. Were you there when my daughter died?"

Felicity sat in the interrogation room with her hands cuffed to a bar on the table. It had clearly been designed for people taller than her because she was unable to sit back in her chair. Instead, she sat on the edge of her seat with her back rigid. Every time she relaxed her position, the cuffs cut painfully into her wrists. She wasn't sure how long she'd been sitting in the room alone. It felt like hours but she knew it was probably closer to thirty minutes. She also knew that leaving her alone was Lance's strategy. He wanted her to break and believed increasing her anxiety level would be the way to start. He wanted her to reveal the Arrow's identity, but it would take a lot more than fear and anxiety for her to betray Oliver. The sound of the door opening forced her to take a deep breath and focus her mind. She couldn't afford any awkward rambles. Everything was on the line for all of the people she cared about.

Lance stood across from her and dropped an overstuffed file folder onto the table. He lowered himself into the only other chair in the room and opened the folder. He pulled several photographs from the file and spread them out in front of her. All but one photo revealed one of the men Oliver had killed in his first year back in Starling. Her fingers stretched and she pulled one of the photos closer. It was a picture of the Count taken before he'd been removed from the taxi cab he landed on when he plummeted out of Oliver's office window at QC. She was surprised she didn't feel any remorse for the man's death, but there was still lingering guilt that Oliver had broken his vow to stop killing in order to save her. Lance clearly had no idea what he was up against if he thought there was any way she'd ever give up Oliver's identity. She might be furious and disappointed in Oliver, but he was her friend and she loved him. If he could kill for her, she could go to jail for him. Lance pulled the picture of the Count away from her grasp. "Did he actually kidnap you or were you covering for another one of the Arrow's murder sprees?"

Felicity was about to insist that the Count's death was completely in self defense when she clamped her jaw shut. She wasn't going to engage in any type of debate about the Arrow. "I want a lawyer. I'd like to make my phone call now."

"I don't think you realize that you're in a lot of trouble, Ms. Smoak. You are a known associate of the Arrow and if we can't bring him to justice, we will make do with you." Lance began to gather up the photos. "We may not even be able to prosecute you for all these murders. Once I call the feds, I think you're going to spend the rest of your life in a federal prison for all your hacking."

Felicity steeled her expression. Fear's tentacles were working through her body. She could feel its icy chill spread out from her stomach and into her limbs. She couldn't let Lance know that she was afraid. In a calm clear voice she said, "Lawyer. Now."

"We're in the process of executing a search warrant at your home and your office at Palmer Technologies. I know you think you've been careful, but even you must make mistakes. If you did we'll find it." Lance glared at her.

"You won't find anything linking me to the Arrow. There's nothing to find." She wasn't bluffing. She was militant about leaving her worlds separate. Did Lance honestly think she had arrows and green leather coats laying around her apartment? As for her electronics, when they attempted to access any of her computers or tablets, they would automatically wipe their hard drives. All of her systems were all programmed to self destruct after the first failed login attempt. It didn't matter how good the experts were at the SCPD or the FBI, there would be nothing left for them to hack.

Lance stood up, his metal chair scraping along the linoleum floor. "Ask yourself, would he sacrifice himself for you?"

Felicity didn't even need to think to respond. "Yes." Lance shook his head and retrieved the file from the table. As he opened the door, Felicity couldn't let him leave without telling her what she's wanted to say to him for months. "I'm so sorry about Sara, for your loss. She was my friend and I miss her."

Without turning he said. "Were you there? Did she suffer?"

Felicity fought the tears that threatened to fall. "I wasn't there when she died, but her death was quick. I was there when she was buried. She was surrounded by people who loved and cared for her."

"I wasn't there. You had no right to bury my baby without me." He turned to look at her. "I had a right to see her one last time and to say goodbye."

Felicity nodded as the tears slid from her eyes. He was right and she had no words to tell him how sorry she was. Not telling him had been a huge error in judgment and had been cruel. They should've tried harder to convince Laurel to tell him. When she thought Oliver was dead, one of the hardest things was not being able to see his body and have definitive proof that he was dead. She couldn't say goodbye because there was a part of her that refused to believe he was dead. They should've let Lance say goodbye. Lance shook his head and snorted in disgust. The door slammed behind him as he left her alone.

Felicity lowered her forehead to the table. She didn't think there was any getting herself out of this mess. She wondered if she would be allowed out on bail before trial or if she was going to spend the rest of her life in jail. She wondered if Waller and A.R.G.U.S. would conscript her for the Suicide Squad. If she worked for A.R.G.U.S. she might still be able to see Dig and Lyla. She wondered what it said about her life when the thought of being forced to join the Suicide Squad made her feel hopeful. The door clicked open and she took a steadying breath. As she sat up she wasn't greeted by the Lance she expected. "Laurel?"

Laurel quickly slid into the seat recently vacated by her father. "I don't have a lot of time. I shouldn't be in her. Don't say anything. They don't have anything on you."

Felicity sighed. "Except your dad speaking to me at least once a week for the past two years whenever he needed help from the Arrow."

"He can't say that without admitting to his working relationship with the Arrow. He could be considered as guilty as you."

"He's hurt and angry about Sara and he wants to keep you safe. He's looking for someone to blame and I'm the easiest way to get to the Arrow."

"Thea is on her way with Jean Lorring. Don't say anything to anyone until she gets here. Do you understand?"

Felicity lowered her voice to barely above a whisper. For the first time since Oliver told her he was going to Nanda Parbat to train to become the next Ra's al Ghul, she was relieved. "Tell Dig and Roy not to contact Oliver. He can't come here. They arrested me for being the Arrow's known associate. Oliver showing up will be too obvious of a coincidence."

Laurel laid her hand across Felicity's and squeezed. "Don't worry about that. We've got a plan."

Felicity swallowed heavily. "Why does that make me nervous?"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for reading. Your feedback is always welcome.


	10. Pressure Point Part 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Dig visits Felicity after her arrest.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for all the kind reviews and kudos. I received numerous requests to continue my prior drabble about Lance arresting Felicity as the Arrow's accomplice. Here is the second installment to Pressure Point.
> 
> The Arrow characters and universe do not belong to me.

Dig ran through the hospital's corridors. His heart was pounding in his chest but not from exertion. Ever since Laurel's phone call his heart had been racing. When Oliver first asked Felicity to join their team his biggest concern had been keeping her safe. Back then he never thought she'd ever be arrested while Oliver and he remained free. The decision to have Felicity assist Lance the night of the Undertaking might have been the single worst collective decision they ever made. They had made her vulnerable and too easy of a target for Lance and the SCPD.

As he rounded a corner, he saw Laurel leaning against the wall opposite a door being guarded by two police officers. When she saw him she gave him a small sad smile and nodded to the officers. He pushed open the door and swallowed a curse as took in the woman he considered a sister laying handcuffed to a hospital bed. Her left eye was swollen shut and she had a neat line of stitches over her eyebrow. He was pretty sure her left cheekbone was fractured from the look of the bruise and swelling. Her right arm was in a cast from her hand to her shoulder and held against her body in a sling. "Felicity?" He sat across from her and reached for the hand cuffed to the rails.

Felicity's eyes fluttered open, but she avoided his gaze. "Turns out, even with how his butt looks in leather, the Arrow isn't all that popular in the woman's prison." She said with false levity.

He wanted to ask if she was okay but he already knew the answer. "What happened?"

"I got jumped in the line to the showers. It took a few minutes for the guards to get everyone off of me." She struggled to sit up but clutched her side. Dig gently lifted her as he adjusted her pillows and lowered her into a more comfortable position. From years of patching up Oliver, he was certain she had, at the very least, several bruised ribs. He ran a practiced eye over her body looking for other signs of injury. "Dig, I'm going to live. Black eye, fractured cheekbone, broken arm, broken wrist, three fractured ribs, a sprained ankle and lots of bruising."

Dig felt his knees go weak as he listened to her list of injuries. As he dropped unsteadily into his chair he rested his forehead against her hand. "Laurel called me last night to tell me you were spending the night in the infirmary and then you were being placed in solitary confinement for your safety. What happened? Why did they transfer you here?"

Even with the bruising he could see her blushing. He knew her well enough to know it wasn't a blush of embarrassment but one of reluctance. "They didn't get the note in the infirmary about my nut allergy. They cooked something in peanut oil and I stopped breathing. I guess they decided they didn't want the liability risk of a big lawsuit and transferred me here." She watched him cautiously. "Don't get angry. It's not his fault."

Dig began to nod his head and a sharp laugh escaped his lips to let her know exactly how not angry he was. If he could get his hands on Oliver Queen their friend would be lucky if he didn't join Felicity in the hospital with matching injuries. Choosing to ignore that particular landmine he switched topics. "I spoke with Jean Lorring this morning. If the doctors agree, you'll be taken to court this afternoon. She believes that all the charges will be dismissed at your arraignment and at the very least the judge will have to grant you bail."

Felicity turned her head away from him and Dig had to lean forward to hear what she was saying. "I really wish you hadn't come."

He did his best to keep the hurt out of his voice. "Why?"

She turned towards him and for the first time since he entered the room she looked him in the eye. "I haven't cried since this all started and seeing you, it's all I can do to keep from crying."

Dig's chest constricted painfully and he did his best not to begin to cry out of frustration. He hated to see Felicity in any kind of distress and she was trying so hard to be strong. He needed for her to think of something else. "It's okay to cry. I won't tell Roy." He teased.

She burst out laughing and reached out for his hand. He engulfed her small hand between his and squeezed. "Thank you. I needed that."

He reached into his pocket and pulled out a small device and placed it on her lap. "A present from Lyla. It will interfere with any recording device. We can speak freely." She nodded and picked up the device and began to examine it with curiosity.

"Any chance she'll let me take a look at this up close when this is all over?" Felicity asked with a small smile.

"I promise to forget to return it to her and it will be waiting for you when you come home."

"Thank you."

"Everything is going to be okay. They don't have any proof linking you to the Arrow. The search of your apartment didn't turn up anything." Diggle said getting back to business.

"That's because there isn't anything to find." She looked at the device, but still lowered her voice. "How's red? The Captain has it out for him."

Dig smiled. Leave it to Felicity to worry about Roy. Ever since Lance revealed he knew that Roy was Arsenal, Felicity had worried about his secret identity. She had threatened to burn his red hoodie. "Don't worry about him, I don't think the Captain thinks the Arrow will give himself up for anyone but you."

"You shouldn't have come here. It isn't safe. I don't want to see any of you at the arraignment."

"You don't get a say in this. You're not alone."

Tears began to slip down her face. "John, this is a house of cards that can come down on top of all of us. You, Roy, Laurel, Thea," she closed her eyes and swallowed heavily, "Oliver. You all need to stay away from me until this is over. It's bad enough Thea arranged for my attorney. I couldn't live with myself if I'm responsible for separating you from Lyla and Sara."

"This was my choice too, you know. I didn't accidentally fall into this."

"I know, but I don't want anyone else going to jail. It's pretty terrible." Felicity turned to look out the window and he could see a battle waging across her face. He knew what she wanted to ask, but he also knew she was afraid to ask.

Dig took pity on her. "We sent word to Oliver as soon as you were arrested." She nodded her head. "We haven't heard from him."

She turned back to him and gave him a strained smile. "Good. I don't want him coming home."

Dig didn't believe her for a second. A knock on the door had him palming the device in Felicity's lap. The Assistant D.A. stuck her head in. "Laurel?"

"It's time." Laurel gave an apologetic smile. "We need to get out of here before the D.A. arrives with Jean."

Dig stood and placed a kiss on Felicity's forehead. "I'll see you this afternoon."

"Okay."

He gave her one last look before he exited the room and gave her his most reassuring smile. As soon as the door closed and he and Laurel were out of earshot of her guards he said, "She's not going back to jail. I need to get her out of here."

Laurel squeezed his forearm. "We will."

His cell buzzed with a message from Roy. He wasn't sure if he was relieved or angered by what he read. "I need to get back to the Foundry."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for reading. Your feedback is welcome.
> 
> I'm thinking of continuing this story from Oliver's POV.


	11. Pressure Point Part 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Oliver returns to Starling upon learning of Felicity's arrest.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm more than a little astonished at the reception this mini story within my drabble collection has received. I guess you never can tell when a little idea will spark and resonate with your readers. Thank you to everyone who took the time to write a comment or send me a kudos. Your feedback has been what's kept the story going.
> 
> The Arrow characters and universe do not belong to me.

The sound of the Foundry door slamming and Dig's feet echoing off the metal stairs had Oliver rising from the edge of Felicity's desk. He was relieved to see what he hoped was a friendly face. When he arrived twenty minutes earlier he'd received a very cold welcome from Roy who, along with Thea and Barry, were now giving him the sullen silent treatment. Dig held Oliver's gaze for a moment before he turned to address the others. "Give us a few minutes and we can run through the plan again."

"Did you see her?" Roy asked, ignoring his dismissal. Oliver perked up because the only her they could be referring to was Felicity.

Dig gave Roy a gentle smile. "I even got to speak with her. She's banged up, but alright." Dig clasped the younger man reassuringly on the shoulder. "She's actually more worried about you than herself."

Oliver watched as his family and friends sighed in relief. Clearly something other than Felicity's arrest had happened while he'd been in transit from Nanda Parbat. He moved closer to Dig, but was waved off with a warning glare.

"I hope you didn't tell her our plans. She'll be a nervous wreck." Thea said.

"I figured she had enough to worry about." Dig tilted his head towards the stairs.

Oliver waited for the door to Verdant to close behind Roy, Thea and Barry before he spoke. "Banged up? Is Felicity alright?"

Dig folded his arms across his chest. "What are you doing here?"

_So, that was how it was going to be_ , Oliver thought to himself as he did his best to swallow his anger. He'd hoped that at least Dig would've forgiven him for leaving. "You should've contacted me the minute she was arrested. If Laurel hadn't contacted me, would you ever have contacted me?"

"You made your choice, Oliver. Besides, she asked me not to contact you."

The barely healed chest wound given to him by Ra's began to ache with Dig's words. Oliver stepped closer to his former bodyguard and pointed an accusing finger. "You should've been the one to let me know she was in trouble."

"I respected her choice."

"I don't give a damn what she wanted. You should've contacted me."

Anger flashed across Dig's face, but he kept his voice calm. "You not caring what she wants is exactly what's gotten you into this mess."

Oliver was so tired of everyone accusing him of intentionally hurting Felicity. He loved her. No, he loves her, but he doesn't know how to separate Oliver Queen from the Arrow. Felicity deserves a whole man who isn't going to die violently and bring death to all of the people he loved. He knows they think he accepted Ra's offer for the promise of immortality, but he doesn't want to live forever. He accepted the offer because he needs control over his destiny. From the moment the Gambit sank, Oliver has been powerless. It's only when he's the Arrow that he feels like he has any control. Becoming the Heir to the Demon has made him feel like he finally has power over his life. Or it did, until he received word that Felicity had been arrested. "That's not what I meant and you know it."

Dig chose mercy over anger when he said, "She doesn't want you here because she wants you to be safe. She's afraid that if you're here the police will finally put you and her together and get the Arrow." Dig pointed at the stairs. "We've got it handled."

As he embarked on his return to Starling he'd taken comfort in knowing that the others would be working towards a solution, but now that he was back, it just felt wrong that he wasn't part of the plan. Oliver began to pace between Felicity's desk and the table where he'd once sharpened his arrows. "I had a right to know that she was in trouble." He didn't care if he sounded like a wounded child.

"A right?" Dig moved to block Oliver on his circuit. "You gave up any right when you accepted Ra's offer. Why the hell did you come back?"

Hurt flashed across Oliver's face. He couldn't believe that things had changed so much between him and Dig that his friend didn't think he'd drop everything when he learned Felicity was arrested. "Did you really think I wouldn't come back the moment I found out?"

"Honestly, man, I thought I knew you right up until the moment you chose the devil over your friends and family."

Oliver had no desire to rehash his decision to join the League. "Is she hurt? You said she's banged up."

"She got jumped on her way to the showers last night. Fractured cheekbone, broken arm, broken wrist, a few cracked ribs and a sprained ankle. She'll be alright, eventually."

Oliver's knees went weak and he sat heavily in his old chair. When he'd left for Nanda Parbat he thought Felicity would be better off without him. He thought her relationship with Ray would have a better chance of making her happy if he wasn't around looking lovelorn and heartbroken. Now she was facing prison because of him and he'd been on the other side of the world when she needed him. The Arrow had made lots of enemies and the majority of them were in prison. Felicity would never be safe if she was convicted of being his accomplice. She absolutely could not go to prison. "What do they have on her?"

"According to Jean, nothing. Lance hasn't yet admitted that she was his intermediary with the Arrow. Everything else is circumstantial and speculation."

Lance's behavior was a mystery to him. He knew the man had a soft spot for Felicity and Oliver had always believed that if push came to shove, Lance would protect her. "Why is he doing this? He knows Laurel and Roy work with the Arrow too. Why hasn't he gone after them? Why Felicity?"

Dig arched an eyebrow at him. "Lance is in a world of pain over Sara. He wants to punish someone and making the Arrow suffer is his way of grieving. Even if he doesn't know that you're the Arrow, he knows that Felicity is an effective weapon to wield. You wouldn't have come home if he arrested Laurel or Roy. Felicity is the best way to lure you out."

Lance was right. Felicity was his pressure point and he'd be willing to risk his own freedom to secure hers. He moved to stand in front of the case that still held his green leather. "Well, it worked."

"Revealing yourself won't help her. If anything, it might make it worse."

Oliver lifted the bow Felicity had made for him. He'd left it behind when he left to join Ra's because he feared it would be too painful of a reminder of what he'd given up. The familiarity of it as it balanced perfectly in his hand gave him comfort. "I won't let her rot in jail for me. She deserves better."

"We're not planning on letting her rot. If the judge doesn't drop the charges or grant her bail, we'll extract her."

Oliver shook his head as he imagined Felicity's life in hiding. For a brief moment he thought that they could run away together, but he knew better than most that a life lived while constantly looking over your shoulder was not a life at all. "So she can be a fugitive? No, I won't let her live the rest of her life on the run."

"She won't be on the run." Dig looked away and Oliver saw something he'd never seen on his face before, shame.

His blood ran cold as he understood what had been planned in his absence. "No, absolutely not. How can you even think that?" Oliver roared.

"She won't be on the Suicide Squad. She'll get to work with all the cutting edge technology she loves and she'll have her freedom. She won't be able to live in Starling, but she'll have a shot at a life."

His heart began to race as he thought of his former captor holding her heel to Felicity's throat. "Waller will destroy her." He spun to face Dig. "Did Felicity agree to this?"

"Not yet. I was going to wait and see what happened today. If the charges are dropped, the conversation won't be necessary."

"Absolutely not. We're not handing her over to Amanda. There is another way." Oliver rubbed his hands over his face and head. "If they don't drop the charges today, I will tell Jean that I'm the Arrow and have her make a deal. I'll agree to confess to everything in exchange for immunity for the rest of you. I'll tell them I threatened all of your lives if you didn't cooperate with me."

Dig looked worried. "Have you thought about this? You will go to jail for the rest of your life. You'll have to remain in solitary confinement until everyone you ever put away is dead."

Oliver knew that Dig was thinking of one of the stories he'd told his partner over vodka about his time away. After Waller pulled him from the freighter but before he went to live with Maseo, she'd placed him in solitary confinement. For two months he didn't see, hear or speak to another human being. He was locked in an eight by four cinder block room that had a cot, a toilet and a sink with nothing to distract him from the waking nightmares that played endlessly in his mind. He'd nearly lost his mind as the memory of the deaths of his father, Sara, Shado and Slade played on a continuous loop. Maseo was the first person he saw when he was released. As an introduction, his new handler had punched him and knocked him to the ground. As Oliver lay panting on the ground he knew that he'd agree to say or do anything as long as it kept him from being returned to his cell and his own thoughts. "I know what it means and I don't care. John, this is Felicity. I don't have any choice."

For the first time since he entered the Foundry, Dig's face softened. "Let's see what happens today."

"How long are you going to be angry with me?" Oliver surprised himself with his own question. The hardest thing about his new life in Nanda Parbat wasn't the brutal training, but waking every day knowing that there wouldn't be an easy conversation with Dig or a smile from Felicity for him to look forward to. He was alone, but more than that, he was lonely. He missed his friends more than he thought possible.

Dig snorted in an approximation of a laugh. "I don't know. How long are you going to keep making decisions that hurt yourself and all the people you love?"

"I never wanted to hurt anyone."

"I know, but that's exactly what you did. Oliver, make a better choice."

Oliver wished it was that easy. More than anything he'd like to do the last six months over. "It's too late."

"As long as we're all still breathing, it's not too late."

Oliver wanted to believe that Dig was right, but then he remembered that Felicity was with another man. "How are things with Felicity and Ray?"

"As good as things can be between two people who are in love with other people."

A spark of hope flared in his belly before he remembered it didn't matter if Felicity was no longer with Ray. Eventually, she'll find someone who'll be able to give her everything he couldn't. Dig was wrong about it not being too late. Dig hadn't been there when Felicity told him that she didn't want to be loved by him. "She'll never forgive me."

Dig sighed. "She loves you. She just needs to know that you're going to choose to have a life and stay."

Oliver knew that there was no going back for them. He would make sure Felicity was safe and then he'd return to the League. For Oliver Queen there'd never be a happy story.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for reading. Your feedback is always welcome.
> 
> Up Next: The story continues when Oliver and Felicity are reunited.


	12. Pressure Point Part 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Felicity has her day in court.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you to everyone who took the time to send me a comment on your thoughts about this mini drabble series. All of your kudos and bookmarks were also greatly appreciated.
> 
> The Arrow characters and universe do not belong to me.

Oliver paced the second floor rotunda of the courthouse as he waited for Jean Lorring. Dig stood at the top of the stairs with his arms folded across his chest as he glared at the press lurking in the lobby. They were waiting for their chance to snap a picture or ask a question of Felicity Smoak and her battling billionaire bosses, Oliver Queen and Ray Palmer. The story was salacious and Oliver's sudden reappearance in Starling City only stoked the flames of speculation.

A commotion broke out amongst the press and Oliver moved to get a better look at whomever was causing the ruckus. He watched as Captain Lance, in full dress uniform, pushed through the crowd of reporters as he gruffly said, "No comment." Lance's foot hesitated on the top step when he spotted Oliver. "Look who's returned from parts unknown." He shook his head and walked passed Oliver towards the courtroom.

Oliver followed Lance with Dig close on his heels. "Why are you doing this? Felicity's never hurt anyone. She's a good person."

Lance turned and Oliver nearly collided with the man he'd considered an ally. "I don't have anything to prove he's you, but I can link her to both of you." Lance shook his head in disgust. "Why did you have to drag her into this? I don't understand why smart women keep falling under your spell. She's stubbornly refusing to give you up. You don't deserve her."

Dig grabbed Oliver's shoulder and spoke quietly, "Don't, man."

"Please don't punish her for my actions. You're angry with me. I'll turn myself in, just let her go." Lance was shaking his head. "I'll beg, if that's what you want."

"You think it's that easy? That I'll just let her walk away?" Lance stepped into Oliver's personal space. "Was she there when my baby died?" The Captain's finger jabbed into Oliver's chest. "Were you?" Glancing over his shoulder, "How about you, Mr. Diggle? Did any of you even try to save her?"

Oliver swallowed heavily. He would've gladly given his life in exchange for Sara's. His last moments with Sara continued to haunt him. He'd been so caught up in his own pain about losing QC and ending things with Felicity that he'd failed to insist that Sara fill him in on her mission. Maybe if he'd known about Merlyn he could've thwarted his plan for Thea to murder Sara. "Sara wouldn't want you taking your anger out on Felicity. They were friends." Oliver rubbed his beard. "Felicity saved Sara's life."

"What?" Disbelief clouded Lance's face.

The angry set of Lance's shoulders had relaxed and Oliver thought he was being given an opportunity to remind the Captain of Felicity's humanity. "Last year, Felicity took a bullet for Sara. We all got more time with her because Felicity Smoak stepped in front of a madman with a gun to protect her friend. She deserves better than both of us."

Lance appeared stunned as he looked between Oliver and Diggle and then he walked away without saying another word. Oliver watched the Captain pull his phone out of his pocket and place a call.

"That wasn't very smart. You just confirmed your identity." Dig said softly.

Oliver really hoped he hadn't made things worse. "He's known since the Hood's first appearance. He just could never prove it after I beat the polygraph and you made an appearance as the Hood when I was under house arrest."

"Oliver," Jean Lorring called as she strode purposefully towards him. Oliver leaned over to hug the diminutive lawyer. "I'm so glad you were able to make it. It will help if the judge sees Felicity has a support system and ties to Starling."

"I'm pretty sure that Palmer will make a better character reference for her." Oliver glanced around wondering if Ray was already inside the courtroom.

Jean smiled at him. "That might be true, but you're the one actually here."

Oliver shot Diggle a look and his friend shrugged. He couldn't believe that Palmer would abandon Felicity when she was in need of his support. "What are her chances?"

"I'm confident that the judge will throw out the case. The D.A. doesn't have anything that will stand up in trial." Jean squeezed Oliver's arm. "Even if the judge decides to move forward he will grant her bail. If the past twenty-four hours have proven anything, she isn't safe in custody. The last thing the mayor needs is for Felicity to get killed by someone with a grudge against the Arrow. Especially when the Arrow has higher approval numbers than she does. She wants to win the special election." Oliver tried to push away the fear of Felicity dying and forced himself to pay attention to her lawyer. "One way or the other, Felicity is going home tonight."

Oliver and Diggle followed Jean into the packed courtroom. The three of them squeezed onto a bench and waited for Felicity's case to be called. Oliver couldn't take his eyes off of Captain Lance who was sitting behind the prosecutor with his head bowed. Lance's right leg jiggling up and down let Oliver know that the man was conflicted and that a battle was raging within him. Oliver prayed that Lance's anger with him wouldn't blind him to the injustice he was heaping upon Felicity. Yes, she was the Arrow's accomplice and partner, but she was also the one who pushed him to be better, to be a hero. The positive force the Arrow had become in Starling was in large part due to the IT girl with a penchant for innuendo laced babbles and an unwavering faith in a man who wore a mask and carried a bow.

"What have I done?" Oliver muttered under his breath. Dig looked at him, but Oliver shook his head. He had been making one terrible decision after another, starting from the moment he decided to walk away from Felicity after their explosive first date. She'd accused him of hiding under his hood because it was easier. At the time, he'd denied it, but she was right. Wearing the hood was only about survival and surviving was the thing he knew how to do best. He spent five years fighting to stay alive and for what? He wasn't living, he was existing. He'd pushed away every person he loved and cared about in order to hide under a different mantle. He lied to himself when he agreed to Ra's offer. To become the Heir to the Demon, he would have to let go of Oliver Queen completely. The young man who found a way to survive at all costs just so he could go home deserved better. Ollie had been punished enough for his careless ways and deserved a chance to live as a whole Oliver. Barry had once told him that he could do great things as Oliver Queen. Maybe he was right. He would restore his family name and leave a legacy his parents would've been proud of. He would be the brother Thea longed for, the friend worthy of being called brother by Dig, the mentor Roy wanted and the man Felicity always believed him to be. There would be no more running. No more Ra's al Ghul. Oliver was going to stop being afraid and live his life. The past had taught him that life was not guaranteed and he was now realizing that he should seize happiness whenever it presented itself.

Oliver's reverie was broken when Jean stood because the baliff called Felicity's name. A door opened at the front of the courtroom and Felicity entered. She was dressed in black slacks and a white short sleeved blouse with small pink polka dots. Oliver was torn between the joy of seeing her again and the agony of her injuries. She hobbled on one crutch as she tried to keep her full weight off her injured ankle. Her eyes scanned the gallery and she sighed in relief when her gaze landed on Oliver. A silent conversation took place between them and she gasped when she realized that he was home for good. Distracted, she appeared to forget her injuries and nearly lost her balance. Oliver, Dig and Lance were on their feet at once and drew murmurs of surprise from the courtroom spectators. A guard steadied Felicity and she flashed him a smile in thanks as he helped her the rest of the way to the defense table. Felicity nervously looked at Oliver over her shoulder and he couldn't stop himself from giving her a wink and a wide grin. He wanted to laugh with joy as she turned to face the front of the courtroom and he watched her neck turn pink as she blushed. Dig cleared his throat and gave Oliver a disapproving look. Sufficiently chastised for drawing unwanted attention from the public, he carefully schooled his features to reveal nothing and sat back down.

The judge, prosecutor and Jean began with some friendly banter before the judge settled down to business. Jean requested all charges to be dropped for insufficient evidence. The prosecutor began his arguments when a throat cleared and Captain Lance rose from his seat. "Excuse me your honor, may I speak with the District Attorney for one moment." The judge nodded his agreement and Lance approached the railing separating the gallery from the rest of the courtroom. The two men put their heads together and spoke softly. The prosecutor raised his head in disbelief but then nodded.

The prosecutor turned to face the judge, "Your honor, the people have decided to drop all charges against Ms. Smoak."

The courtroom erupted as the spectators voiced the disbelief that was currently Oliver's predominant thought. He looked over to Lance who was staring at Felicity. Her head was dropped to her chest as if she were in prayer. The judge pounded his gavel against his desk. "Silence, in my court. It appears, Ms. Smoak, that you are free to go. The case of the People of Starling City versus Felicity Megan Smoak is hereby dismissed."

The courtroom was dismissed for the day and as the judge stepped down from his desk, Oliver pushed through the crowd towards Felicity. He passed by the Captain who only gave him a silent nod when Oliver said, "Thank you."

Felicity was speaking with Jean and Oliver could hear her giving her thanks. "Felicity," his voice was almost a whisper.

"Oliver. You're home." She said with a smile. His words failed him and all he could do was nod. "Good, this is where you belong."

He was suddenly reaching for her and she hopped over to the railing. He carefully put his arms around her, mindful of her injuries. He tucked his face against the side of her neck. "I'm so sorry, please forgive me."

She rested her forehead against his chest. "You can tell me how sorry you are over a bottle of red and lots and lots of dumplings."

Dig's hand gripped Oliver's shoulder. He looked up and saw that a guard and Jean were waiting. The lawyer gave them a sympathetic smile. "They need to process Felicity for release. It will be about an hour but then she'll be ready to go home."

Oliver kissed her check. "I'll be waiting."

Felicity hopped away towards the guard. "With dumplings."

Oliver laughed, "Yes, with dumplings."

She hobbled over to the door with the guard following close behind. Before she stepped through the door she turned around. "Oliver? Tomorrow."

He tilted his head, "Tomorrow?"

She smiled. "We'll face it together."

His heart swelled almost painfully in his chest. The love he had for this woman was beyond words and it was inexplicable that he thought he could ever give up on having a life with her. He smiled and promised on all of their tomorrows, "Together."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for reading. Your feedback is always welcome.
> 
> I think that's it for this mini story. I hope you've enjoyed it. I'll be back with something new when the muse strikes.

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you for reading.


End file.
